Haryana Agriculture Minister Om Parkash Dhankar on Sunday said that the state is all set to introduce a Bill for "protection and upkeep" of cows in Budget Session of the Assembly beginning on .

Haryana Agriculture Minister Om Parkash Dhankar on Sunday said that the state is all set to introduce a Bill for "protection and upkeep" of cows in Budget Session of the Assembly beginning on .

In the proposed 'Govansh Sanrakashan and Gau Samvardhan (Cow Protection and Cow Conservation and Development) Bill' efforts will be made to ban cow slaughter and for conservation and better care of indigenous cattle, he said.

"For the scientific test and analysis, government is considering to establish laboratories to differentiate beef from meat of that of other animal species. Test reports of these laboratories will be valid evidence in the court of law," Dhankar said adding that sale of packaged beef has been banned in the state.

The minister noted that there were some 3,000 cows in the state in 400 cow shelters run by NGOs. Besides, some 1.5 lakh cows roam in fields or streets.

He said that the existing cow sheds will be upgraded and made self-sufficient.

"Special efforts will be taken for availability of Beta —Carotene and A-2 milk protein in the milk of indigenous cows which are beneficial for control of diabetes and cholesterol in human beings and also known for better digestibility.

"The focus will also be on establishing a brand for the milk of indigenous cows and ensuring A-2 milk at remunerative prices," Dhankar said.

The state will provide financial and technical support to cow welfare organisations like Gaushalas, Gau-Grah,Gau-Abhyaranya, Gau-Sadan, Gokul Gram that are engaged in maintenance and care of sick, injured, stray and uneconomicn cows, he said.

"The government will take necessary steps to provide incentives for marketing and processing of milk from indigenous cows," he added.

Regarding his ongoing 'Jan Kisan Abhiyan' campaign, Yadav Regarding his ongoing 'Jan Kisan Abhiyan' campaign, Yadav said it will be taken to village and block level in the state in the second phase.

"We will go into villages, block level and meet farmers whom land is being acquired and listen to their grievances,"he said, adding, he will be visiting Gurgaon from March 12 to 14 as part of the campaign.

Under the 'Jan Kisan Abhiyan' campaign, AAP workers hand over packets of salt to local MPs as a reminder to him of his responsibilities towards farmers.

In Ambala constituency, AAP workers led by Yadav handed over the salt to BJP MP Rattan Lal Kataria in Panchkula here.

Jan Kisan Abiyan was launched last month by AAP against BJP government in the state and the Centre to oppose their "anti-farmers" policies. The party has been criticising the BJP government for urea shortage, land acquisition ordinance and less prices of food grains.

Yadav had written a letter to Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar on February 19, slamming the state government over slashing the compensation rate under the new land acquisition policy by half.